AFA Autumn 2021

Autumn 78 www.afamag.com | w ww.incollect.com Abraham Ratshesky’s White Lion Medal, Karnet a Kyselý, Prague, Czechoslovakia, circa 1932. Silver, silver gilt, gold, enamel, and ribbon; red leather case. Gift of the A. C. Ratshesky Foundation, 1987; Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center at NEHGS (1987.049). The recipient of this impressive medal, Czechoslovakia’s highest honor, was the renowned Abraham Captain “Cap” Ratshesky (1864–1943), who served under President Herbert Hoover as the American minister (officially Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary) to Czechoslovakia from January 1930 until May 1932. Born in Boston to Jewish immigrant parents (his father, Asher, was from Russia), Ratshesky rose to prominence in 1895 as the co-founder, with his brother Israel, of the United States Trust Company, a Boston institution willing to serve immigrants who were rebuffed by other banks. He became a Republican politician and legislator, philanthropist, and social activist, assisting the Red Cross, helping to save the USS Constitution , helping with World War I relief, and serving as president of the Massachusetts Public Safety Commission. He is best remembered today for his crucial role in spearheading relief efforts for Halifax, Nova Scotia, in December 1917, after the collision of the SS Mont-Blanc , a French munitions vessel, and the Norwegian ship SS Imo . The resulting explosion leveled much of the Canadian city, killing about 2,000 and injuring another 9,000. Ratshesky helped assemble a relief train that brought doctors, nurses, and medical supplies from Boston, fighting its way through a blizzard and deep snow drifts to reach its destination. To this day, the city of Halifax sends a Christmas tree to the city of Boston in gratitude for, and in memory of, the efforts of Cap Ratshesky and his colleagues.